(BPT) - June 5 is World Environment Day. It's a day to acknowledge that people's actions matter when protecting our environment. While everyone should think about how to do their part, companies must engage in sustainable practices that nurture the planet.
"The relationship between the health of our planet and that of our people is inextricable," says Kellogg Company's Chief Sustainability Officer, Janelle Meyers. "Our changing climate is reducing crop yields, leading to greater food insecurity that disproportionately affects diverse and underserved communities."
Change doesn't happen overnight. It takes careful planning and commitment to create a significant impact. Kellogg's Better Days(R) Promise is a series of commitments to advance sustainable and equitable access to food. Since 2015, the food company has adopted various climate-positive practices that aim to nurture the planet.
Read on to see a few ways Kellogg is working toward its promise to create better days for 3 billion people by the end of 2030.
1. Greenhouse gas emissions
One of the commitments of Kellogg's Better Days(R) Promise is to decrease Scope 3 (upstream and downstream business activity) greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 15% by the end of 2030 by implementing climate-positive practices across its value chain. This is especially important when making one of the company's main ingredients in its iconic Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats and cereal: rice.
It may be hard to believe, but farming rice releases methane, which is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. However, in 2022, Kellogg's collaborated with Lower Mississippi River Basin rice farmers, agribusiness firm Syngenta and leading agricultural GHG measurement firm Regrow to conduct the Ingrained program.
This pilot program helped rice farmers to implement climate-positive practices that would help reduce their GHG impact. During the pilot year, the farmers reduced their GHG emissions by 1,600 metric tons. That's the equivalent to taking over 345 cars off the road for one year!
By partnering with farmers and other members along its supply chain, the company is on track to meet its goal. As of December 2021, Kellogg has worked toward a 13% absolute reduction in Scope 3 GHG emissions!
2. Renewable energy
A popular topic among sustainability efforts is using more renewable energy sources. In that vein, Kellogg has aimed to have all its global manufacturing facilities use 100% renewable electricity by the end of 2050.
To work toward this goal, the company has established a long-term wind energy agreement and purchased the electricity equivalent of 100 megawatts from a wind farm. This investment will help power 50% of the electricity used across our North American manufacturing facilities.
While there is still much to do, this is a solid foundation for the company to build on to continue to progress toward a more sustainable and equitable future.
3. Packaging
Food packaging can create a lot of waste. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, containers and packaging, including food-related containers, account for over 23% of all materials in U.S. landfills.
As a producer of many foods, Kellogg understands that it can play a major role in reducing packaging waste. The company is committed to working toward 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by volume.
While this may seem daunting, the company is already working on ways to meet its goal. For example, the inner liners of Kellogg cereals and Cheez-It crackers can be recycled. Consumers can simply take them to their local grocery store with other plastic bags.
In 2021, 76% of its packaging was recyclable at scale. By continuing to innovate its packaging practices, Kellogg is well on its way to creating a climate-positive future for all.
"While we have more work to do, we've made significant progress to better understand our impact on the environment and how we can create a climate-positive value chain," said Meyers.
Learn more about Kellogg's Better Days(R) Promise and how the company is working to create better days for people and the planet at BetterDays.KelloggCompany.com.
